When Jessica Standiferd first walked through the doors of Connections for Independent Living in Greeley, she wasn’t leading a department or attending strategy meetings. She was hired as a weekend janitor.
Jessica Standiferd Rises in Nonprofit Leadership
June 25, 2025
“I had no idea what Connections did other than they offered support services to people with disabilities,” Jessica recalled. “I was just doing janitorial work for a little extra money.”
But soon, management noticed her strong work ethic. Jessica was offered a part-time administrative assistant role in 2017. By the fall of that year, she transitioned to full-time. She wore many hats over the next few years, eventually becoming Housing Coordinator, then moving into her current Communications, Marketing and Outreach Activities Manager role. Each job brought new challenges. Jessica embraced them all.
Over time, she fell in love with the nonprofit space and the positive things it can bring to people. This is important to her, “the sense of fulfillment of bringing any amount of peace to someone who’s needing assistance.” Jessica loves that her work supports people with mental, cognitive and physical disabilities. “I love serving people directly, but realizing I can help keep the organization functional on a strategic level has been incredible,” she said.
While she continued to grow as a nonprofit professional, Jessica knew there were skills she needed to take her leadership to the next level.
Finding Opportunity Through the Aims Nonprofit Leadership Academy
Jessica and her supervisor talked about the Aims Nonprofit Leadership Academy, timing and funds never worked out. Then, an opportunity arose: a scholarship from the Weld Legacy Foundation. Jessica applied for the grant and received funding to take seven classes in the program. “I honestly don’t know how I would have been able to do this financially,” she said. “The assistance allowed me to learn new things and open doors.”
The Nonprofit Leadership Academy is a professional development program offered through Aims Community College Continuing Education, offering a flexible, non-credit curriculum. Courses run the gamut of what it takes to lead a successful nonprofit. From foundational management principles and finance essentials to strategic marketing, fundraising, grant writing, board development and leadership skills, the program equips nonprofit professionals with practical tools and real-world knowledge. Jessica described the learning environment, whether online or in-person, as dynamic and interactive.
The courses were enriched by a diverse cohort that included everyone from board members to aspiring nonprofit founders. This growing network of professionals enriched the entire experience. “Everyone brings a different perspective,” she said, “seeing the different directions everyone took on assignments was eye-opening. We were all learning from each other, not just the instructors. There’s a lot of value in class discussions.” Jessica saw her skills and knowledge expand along with others in the group, “It’s been really cool to see everybody as they grow through this process.”
Jessica believes that classes were rigorous, but not unmanageable, as a full-time employee and primary parent to seven children between the ages of seven and 17. She put in hard work to strike this balance. “I’ve proven that I can do the coursework, be a mom and work 40 hours a week. I can get the job done.”
She found all the courses valuable, but Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Leaders had the most significant impact. “I knew bits and pieces before, but learning how to guide a nonprofit to be more aligned with its mission and vision and how actually to implement that plan was amazing.” Jessica has already applied what she learned at work. “I’ve conducted a SWOT analysis for recent events. We went over strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats.” This helped her team critically evaluate and improve future programming.
Participating in the academy gave Jessica tools to use in her current role, but also helped crystallize a long-term vision. “One day, I will be an executive director of a nonprofit,” she said.
The Nonprofit Leadership Academy has also inspired Jessica to further her studies. “This was the stepping stone that got me wanting to further my career and education,” she said. She’s considering enrolling at Aims to pursue a degree, confident she can balance work, life and academics.
“I wholeheartedly believe in self-improvement. You can always be the best version of yourself, show up for yourself, learn things and implement what you learn.”
The next round of nonprofit leadership academy classes begins later this year. Visit aims.co/nonprofit-academy and sign up to be notified when registration opens.
